With her new apprenticeship under Nightmare Moon, Empress of Equestria and Queen of the Eternal Night, the orphan filly Twilight Sparkle plunges head-first into the conspiracies, secrets and intrigues of the Empire.
700 years have passed since the night Nightmare Moon defeated her sister Celestia and cast her to far off lands, stripping her of power. Now, the hate in the younger sister's heart has faded, and she has brought Celestia back to Equestria.
Nightmare Moon won a thousand years ago, plunging Equestria into perpetual night. Now, as Princess Luna's student, Twilight Sparkle must contend with Celestia's unexpected return as a familiar group of ponies are thrown into conflict.
Fluttershy lives a peaceful life with her geese, taking them every night to graze in the meadows, hurrying home before the forbidden sun rises. She tries not to look at the Midnight Spire as it rises before her, dark and terrible.
Rarity is beautiful, elegant, talented. She has to be, to survive as Seneschal to her Dark Majesty. But now a newcomer arrives at the court of the Empress Nightmare Moon, and she threatens to unsettle everything Rarity has worked so hard to build.
During the thousandth annual Summer Moon Celebration, the Mare in the Sun returns in an attempt to overthrow Equestria and return balance to day and night, and it's up to the Queen's apprentice Dark Tome to stop her.
Nightmare Moon defeats Celestia in the original battle, and sets herself up as queen. Fearing rebellion, Nightmare Moon uses her powers to take away all the unicorns' magic. Well, almost all of them.
Nightmare Moon won. She defeated Celestia, broke the Elements, banished the sun. This all happened a very long time ago. So long ago, that she has had plenty of time to change her mind. Not that fixing it will be simple.
A huge alteration in Equestria's past results in Dr Whooves and a stranger trapped on opposite ends of an alternate timeline. A timeline where Celestia never defeated Nightmare Moon. Although a 1001 years apart, they have to fix things together.